Clinical workstations set for single ID/password system
Vanderbilt University Medical Center employees operating clinical workstations (CWS) are accustomed to seeing a white screen when logging into their computers.
Beginning Nov. 30, these users will be encouraged to go for the gold. As part of Single User ID, a program initiated by Medical Center Operations and Informatics, CWS users will be prompted to sign into their computer terminals using only their VUNet ID, which will appear in a gold box.
Historically, employees operating clinical workstations have been required to log in using two separate user IDs and passwords.
Organizers hope to phase in the new procedure between Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. Nearly 12,000 employees will be impacted by the change.
“For years now, users have complained about having to use multiple IDs and passwords to log into their workstations,” said Karen Hughart, MSN, R.N., director, Systems Support Services at Vanderbilt.
“We want to make it much simpler for people to access their workstations, not to mention the need to remember just one login and password.”
Until now, most clinical workstation users would use what is known as a RACF ID to access their workstations for clinical applications, and then use their VUNet ID to retrieve e-mail and for other uses.
During Phase I (beginning Nov. 30), users will continue to see the white screen associated with the RACF ID, but will be encouraged to check the box for VUNet ID and password. This will prompt the screen to change to the gold background.
During Phase II all CWS screens will display the gold box with VUNetID serving as the default. If necessary users can chose to mark the box for the RACF ID to log in.
By the final phase of the Single User ID program (Dec. 7), users will have only one option available to sign on – the gold background box for the VUNet ID and password.
StarPanel sign on screens will undergo a change also. Users who access StarPanel from an administrative workstation will follow the same transition schedule for Single User ID as CWS users.
The new login protocol will be under watchful eyes to determine proper usage.
“This is all in response to user requests throughout the years to eliminate a second sign on,” Hughart said.
According to Hughart, there will be a couple of exceptions to the Single User ID requirement.
Employees using EPIC and MEDIPAC, the outpatient and inpatient registration systems, will continue to use RACF ID for those applications until an updated program is introduced.